1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reclosable bag-like container which is constituted of a flexible material and which is adapted to store pourable food products; for instance, such as dry cereals, or semi-moist products.
Currently, in the packaging technology, and particularly the facets thereof which concern themselves with the packaging and storage of dry cereals, among similar foodstuffs which are in granular form, it is generally the custom to employ an inner bag which is normally constituted of a moisture-impervious flexible plastic or wax-coated material and which receives and stores the contents or foodstuffs until such time as it is desired to dispense the dry cereal contents or portions thereof as may be desired by a consumer. In that connection, an upper sealed edge of the flexible plastic container, which is in the form of the inner bag, is ripped open by the consumer, normally along a previously formed heat seal, and the contents of the bag dispensed to the extent desired. Inasmuch as flexible bags or containers of that type are generally not self-supporting, they are normally placed within the outer container, which is ordinarily constituted of a substantially rigid paperboard or similar laminated material, and wherein the outer container is of a primarily rectangular parallelipiped configuration internally dimensioned to easily receive the inner bag, and wherein the outer container is adapted to be reclosed by means of overlapping flaps with interengageable tab and slit fastener structures. This, in essence necessitates the production and positioning two containers one within the other; namely an inner flexible bag-like container storing the contents, which is essentially not resealable in nature but is merely closed by folding over the previously ripped open upper edge portion, and the outer cardboard container which is only reclosed by means of the interengaging tab and slit structure formed on upper flaps thereof. This type of container arrangement, besides being expensive inasmuch as it necessitates the separate manufacture of product-receiving flexible plastic/waxed paper bags and of the rigid paperboard containers, and the assembling thereof, requires a relatively large storage and store display shelf spaces, while failing to preserve the desired integrity of the stored contents inasmuch as the containers are not hermetically resealed, thereby adversely effecting the shelflife and freshness of the comestible contents over any extended periods of time.
More recently, in order to improve upon the foregoing packaging technology, and, in particular, eliminate the necessity in providing for an outer rigid container, generally such as a rectangular paperboard container housing an inner flexible waxed paper or plastic bag storing dry pourable foodstuff contents therein, there have been developed essentially semi-rigid self-supporting flexible containers for dry foodstuffs, such as dry cereals, in an attempt to eliminate the need for an outer rigid container. This, not only provides for a simpler and less expensive package construction, but also avoids the need for outer paperboard or cardboard containers which, under some storage conditions, may attract insects or rodents, and which may also be readily susceptible to environmental damage encountered during long-term storage, possibly due to external moisture and humidity conditions or the like. Pursuant to the technology, consideration has also been given to the development of reclosable packages, in which cooperating closure elements, such as male and female profile members, enable the sealed reclosing of the package or bag, thereby protecting the contents from external and environmental influences.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Gordon et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,473 discloses a semi-rigid cereal carton which is constituted of paperboard having the interior surface thereof coated with a thermoplastic polymer barrier layer, and possibly covered with a further moisture-imperious outer layer. The semi-rigid construction of the carton which in cross-section is vertically essentially of a trapezoidal configuration, having a wide self-supporting bottom of rectangular configuration, includes an upper edge with an openable sealed corner structure, in which the corner of the upper edge is adapted to form a pouring spout for the dispensing of the dry cereal contents. Thereafter, subsequent to the dispensing of predetermined quantities of the container contents, the latter may be reclosed by simply pressing the spout portions together and in which adhesive contact surfaces will reclose the spout. This structure is rather complex and necessitates the use of an adhesive which frequently has the dry granular or flaked contents of the container adhering thereto during and after pouring, thereby inhibiting the hermetically sealed reclosing of the container corner pouring spout structure. This potential adverse influence over the integrity of the seal prevents the remaining dry cereal or foodstuff in the container to be stored in a condition of freshness over any extended period of time.
Warr, U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,626 discloses a flexible plastic bag incorporating structure adapted to contain dry comestibles and other types of contents in a sealed condition, and wherein an upper corner portion of the essentially rectangular bag is provided with a tear line adapted to enable tearing of a corner patch thereof so as to produce a chamfered or tapered corner pouring spout. A strip which contains an adhesive on one surface thereof is adapted to be peeled from its position on an upper outer surface portion of the bag, and adhesively placed over the pouring spout subsequent to the dispensing of portions of the bag contents, so as to form a closure sealing in the remaining bag contents. This patent provides for a complex structure wherein the separate strip must be manually detached from the bag and placed over the corner portion of the bag which has the pouring spout, so as to provide the reclosable seal of the bag. Repetitive removal of the strip containing the adhesive and opening of the pouring spout therewith may cause the seal to loose its effectiveness, thereby adversely affecting the freshness and quality of the contents of the bag over any longterm storage periods.
More recently, reclosable flexible or semi-rigid plastic containers or bags have been developed in the packaging technology wherein the bags may be reclosed through the intermediary of so-called slide fasteners; in essence, interengageable profiled male and female members or tongue-and-groove elements, generally of plastic material. These fasteners are formed along openable edge portions of the bags, and upon being separated to allow for the dispensing of portions of the contents as may be required by a consumer, are thereafter resealed by simply reengaging the profiled male and female fastener members and applying pressure thereto along the length thereof.
Various types of such slide fasteners are well known in the packaging art and have been developed in the technology so as to be either integrally formed with the material of the bag walls, or formed as strips which are suitably sealed or fastened to the interior surfaces of facing or opposing sidewalls of the bags or containers, and are adapted to be separated to form a bag opening by being pulled apart and reclosed by a simple physical application of pressure by a consumer, and wherein the pressure is adapted to be applied along the length of the interengageable profile male and female fastener members so as to form a generally hermetic seal along the full length of the opening formed in the bag or container.
Thus, Branson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,787,755 discloses a flexible bag-like container wherein reclosable fastener elements include cooperable zipper-like structure consisting of male and female profiled elements adapted to form a pouring spout. In one embodiment, the fasteners are attached to external surfaces of the container in an angled corner configuration to provide a corner pouring spout which can be reclosed by folding over of the container material and joining the profiled fasteners together. This necessitates a complex folding-over and fastener aligning procedure which cannot be always easily implemented by a user.
Among other disclosures of flexible bag structures incorporating interengageable profiled male and female or tongue-and-groove type slide fasteners are Schmidt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,290,467; Van Erden, et al., U.S. Reissue Pat. No. Re 34,347; Bruno, U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,586; Johnson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,305; and Talbott U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,731, also setting forth apparatus and methods for producing packaging and container flexible structures employing differing types of interengagable profiled male and female fastener arrangements.
Although, in general, the foregoing patent publications provide for an adequate resealing of flexible plastic bags or containers so as to again form essentially hermetically sealed packaging structures protective of the remaining contents which are stored therein, ordinarily the reclosable seals are formed so as to extend along the entire length of an edge of the usually rectangularly shaped plastic container. Thus, the separation of the profiled male and female fasteners elements may produce an inordinately large bag opening, causing the rapid and frequently excessive dispensing of the bag contents, often by children of tender age. Also, the reclosing of such relatively large openings formed by the separation of the bag fastener elements may be implemented by children or others who are either not concerned with the complete reclosing of the bag or container, or improperly realigning the elements so as cause the bag to remain open or to be improperly reclosed.